Paraguay taking recovery step by step

ASUNCION (Reuters) - Paraguay’s challenge at the Copa America is not so much to win the trophy they came close to lifting in 2011 as to recover the lost strengths of a well organised defence and incisive counter-attack. The Paraguayans lost their way after the tournament in Argentina four years ago where they were beaten by Uruguay in the final having reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the first time in South Africa in 2010. Brazil 2014 was their next goal but the fans suffered as Gerardo Martino, the architect of those achievements, quit. Paraguay got through three coaches as they failed to find the right replacement to steer them through the qualifiers to a fifth consecutive World Cup tournament across the border. They turned to Martino’s fellow Argentine Ramon Diaz last December and he has rebuilt Paraguay into a solid team. Diaz has mixed the experience of captain Roque Santa Cruz, record 122-cap centre back Paulo Da Silva and goalkeeper Justo Villar with talented young midfielder Oscar Romero and striker Raul Bobadilla. A good Copa America in Chile, where Paraguay kick off their Group B campaign against favourites Argentina in La Serena on June 13, will help them turn the page on a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign in which they finished bottom of the 10-nation South America group. Diaz’s first results in charge on tour in March were a 0-0 draw away to Costa Rica in San Jose and 1-0 loss to Mexico in Kansas City that left him satisfied with the players’ organisation and attitude but identifying failings in their ball retention and distribution. The team plan is in its infancy and Diaz is looking further ahead to the 2018 World Cup qualifiers starting later in the year, but a berth in the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams is not unrealistic in a group containing Argentina, Uruguay and Jamaica. The tournament starts next Friday with Paraguay’s second group match against Uruguay, their conquerors in the 2011 final in Buenos Aires, at Antofagasta on June 16 before they meet Jamaica back in La Serena four days later. (Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Rex Gowar; editing by Ken Ferris)